How was your literate life this week? I read two incredible books, revved up my notebook and fell into a rabbit hole of learning about an underwater town….join me there!


What I’m Reading:

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan was pure delight, from start to finish. When I finished the last page, I cried. I cried for Anna, for Claire, for Thierry, for Laurent, for Alice, for Richard and for myself. I cried for all the ways I saw myself in the pages of the book and for all the ways I wish I did. Because honestly, I expected a delightful little read filled with chocolate and sweetness, not a delightful little read filled with chocolate and sweetness and steep life lessons I needed to learn right now: about life and really living, about love and insecurities, about family and the bonds that tie us. My quote notebook is filled to the brim and so is my reading heart.

Up next was Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. It’s been on my TBR stack ever since Gretchen Rubin selected it for her book club and I finally made the time to read it. Unexpectedly, it was a quick read because I could not put the book down. It was unlike any book I’ve ever read, such an interesting mix of science and facts balanced with a heartbreakingly touching personal narrative. Weaving from country to country, childhood to adulthood, science to narrative, despair to hope, Gyasi enveloped me into Gifty’s life, her journal, her inner thoughts of life, living, worthiness and love. I was all in for the entire, beautiful ride. My only wish? For more. As readers turn the final page, we see what has become of Gifty….but we don’t know how and since I’d connected with her so, the how was something I was looking for. But that might be the very point: for the reader to hypothesize how and then transform along with her.

What I’m Writing:

I am a serial newsletter-subscriber. Sometimes, I regret this decision and end up unsubscribing after I’ve downloaded the cool new resource I was after. But sometimes, I’m incredibly thankful I stumbled across a new person to admire and learn from. And this week, that person was Suleika Jaouad. I subscribed to her weekly writing prompts and spent some time writing in response to a passage she shared from Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. I guarantee you won’t want to delete this newsletter, either.

What I’m Learning:

So, I went down another rabbit hole. =) I had no idea that Sacandaga Lake, a local lake not too far from my home, was actually man made. Back in the 1930’s, they literally flooded an entire city to save the surrounding towns from persistent flooding. The houses, schools, churches and more are ALL STILL THERE, a town literally under water. And I heard that when the lake is low, you can actually see the tops of the chimneys and roofs of the buildings left behind. How cool (and scary!) is that? I read a few articles, ordered a book (or two!) about what the town looked like before the flooding, and just let myself be swept away (yes, pun intended) by the wonder of it. What facts about your local history might send you down a rabbit hole, too?

What I’m Loving:

Millersville University is hosting a virtual nErd Camp on July 15, 2021! This is a FREE experience for educators and librarians who love books and want to discuss timely topics with the people who create them! Join me!

Rob Walker (author of The Art of Noticing) offered some pretty terrific advice: Plan a pleasurable mission that will take you to a new place this summer. Where will you go?

Are you drifting? Gretchen Rubin put together this free quiz to help us identify if we are drifting, that is, making decisions by not deciding. And that has consequences.

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?